Man Removed from Texas Restaurant After T-Shirt Offends Patrons
Note: This story was originally reported in February 2018.
A Texas man says he was asked to leave a Richardson restaurant after customers took offense to the political message on his T-shirt.
Andy Ternay and his partner had just sat down to eat at First Watch Café when a manager approached their table, explaining that several customers had complained about his shirt and that families with children were “very distressed” by the language on it.
“I expressed deep sympathies and let her know that explaining ‘grab ’em by the pussy’ and golden showers to my daughter was equally unpleasant,” Ternay wrote later on Facebook.
The shirt’s front read: “F* TRUMP AND F*** YOU FOR VOTING FOR HIM,”** while the back stated, “F* THE RACIST ALT-RIGHT.”**
According to Ternay, the manager told him that some diners found his shirt to be in “indescribably poor taste.” The situation escalated shortly after the couple’s drinks were served, when a cook came to their table and asked them to leave.
Ternay said he and his partner asked to tip their server, collect their drinks to go, and quietly exit. “One table of white people applauds,” he recalled. Once outside, Ternay said a Black server approached him and revealed he had quit his job on the spot in protest.
“He told us, ‘You should hear these people asking not to be seated near Muslims,’” Ternay recounted.
In an interview with The Daily Beast, Ternay said that while some customers objected to his shirt, others supported him. “A Latino lady at the register thanked me, and two African American servers said my shirt was awesome,” he said.
Ternay explained that he wore the shirt to make a statement about solidarity and equality. “I don’t want people of color, Muslims, LGBTQ people, or immigrants to feel alone,” he said. “The proper use of white male privilege is to help lift others—to speak truth to power.”
After leaving the restaurant, Ternay said he encountered a police officer in the parking lot. When he asked if the officer was responding to a complaint about his shirt, she confirmed that she was. “She starts in on the shirt—whereupon I cite Cohen v. California (1971),” Ternay wrote, referencing the Supreme Court case that upheld the right to wear a jacket reading “F*** the Draft.” The officer then told him simply, “Just leave, okay?”
In a statement to The Daily Beast, First Watch’s corporate office defended the decision to remove Ternay, citing complaints from families with children.
“When we asked the gentleman to leave, it was in response to concerns about vulgar obscenities boldly displayed on his shirt,” the statement read. “We do not believe children should be exposed to such language in a family restaurant. This had nothing to do with any political statement or the color of anyone’s skin.”
Despite the controversy, Ternay said he does not plan to condemn or boycott the restaurant. His Facebook post describing the incident went viral, garnering over 42,000 shares and sparking widespread debate online.
He added that while he received both support and criticism, the reactions from the African American community affected him most deeply. “I’ve gotten heartbreaking messages from African Americans saying they’ve lost faith in their white neighbors,” he said. “My shirt was meant as reassurance that they’re not alone.”
Side-by-side photos of Andy Ternay showcasing the front and back of his Trump t-shirt, Photo Credit: Facebook/Andy Ternay
